Conveying mechanism



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 H. A. FARRAND CONVEYING MECHANISM Fil d Oct. '7, 1924 Sept. 15, 1925.

Sept 15, 1925. 1,553,3?3

' H. A. FARRAND CONVEYING MECHANI SM Filed Oct. .'2, 92 a Sheets SheetL 2 .QfZTiza n 1 n w in I Sept. 15, 1925. 1,553,373

H. A. FARRAND CONVEYING MECHANISM Filed Oct. 7, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheqt 5 f $2 W M A Patentedsept. 15, 1925.

umrso stars-s Arum ouster.

mean A. FA -RA D, ,0EBE;]3,LI1\T,NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSLGNQR rmnnowueomrnnv, 10F BFIBLIN, NEW HAMBSHIIQE, A,QQB ;OI$AT N: Ei-MA N CDNVEYING ME HAms ,application filed October 7,-1924. Seriar'No. .Z4 2; 1 83. i

To a-ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HIRAM, AgE RnANDp a citizen of the United "states residing' at.

Berlin in the county of'Coos and State of New Hampshireflrave invented newiand useful Improvements in 'Conveyingf Mechanism, of which the following i is i a specification. y I

This invention relates toconveying mecha- -drioal objects suclnas-fiber tubes formed up from wet pulpathrough a vdrier. V

- In this 'drier. the tubes "are supported .be-

that the tubes are rotated, by their frictional contactswith the-rollers. In order that motion ZOlltranslation. may be imparted tothe tubes, the rollers. are, supported at .-each=end-by bearings, the bearings at the corresponding .ends of .each, of. the rollers -being i-fixed to endless chains-rwhich arepassed over suitable sprocket wheels rotated in unison.

found to-be impracticable-to attempt to roseries supporting tubesiwith the samewdrivingchain. stretch :and slackening unavoldable :in the driving of-such aflchain vcausing" such. irr regular rotation ofthe rollers-thatthe pulp tube which iscomparatively soft and easily. deformable, particularly, atwthe wet end of, the drier, wouldbe likely to be injured. Itl =1nay also be desirable to rotate the. article in. 9 different lengthwise portions of the drier at different velocities. For" these reasonsthe stretch of tube-supporting rollers is divided into a plurality of units rotated independ-u.- -en-tly of each other by separate.chain drive mechanisms, the rollers passing in turn from cooperation with one to a succeedingldrivq v. 111g mechanism as they are translated. With a this construction, however,the-rollers atadvelocities even tlieuglizjzi esuccessive drive -nism and while not limitedthereto has been v particularly designed, ,for l conveying cylin- This is due touthe alternate vunits.

chains are driven from sprocket wheel's hav ngthe same V6lO0Lt1SS,j those rollers adjacent to the driven portion of the drivefchain of each unit being more uniformly rotated sprockets are rotated *atjdi fferentvelocities, it is importantthat the tube-shallbe prevented from ,havingfrictional driving contact with the rollers in more-than one driven unit; at, one time since .lotherwise the; tubes would necessarily rub on one or the-other ,of .the rollers driven, at diiferentjangular ,velocities and. would be liable ,to suffer in- Jury. V

The present invention, therefore, provides mechanism by which it is, rendered impos- "s ble' for a tube. to be, in. frictional contact at the same time with both of any pair of adjacent rollersdriven from different drive i V I chains either directly or by frictional contact-through other tubesfij This is done by' interposin'g between adjacent rollers, astney Therollers are rotated by means of chain drives; engagingsprocket wheels fixed to-rotate with the rollersvat one endof each.v As the drier'is ofvery considerable length, as in the neighborhood of 200 ..feet, it has been I fr ctional engagement 7 with the; driven rollersand which is raisedto lift the tube from one or the other of such driven rollers until such time as bothassume positions in the succeeding drivingunit .and are thus rotated at substantially the same velocity, whereuponthe idleroller is withdrawn.

Provision is also made by which}, the idle roller ismovedinto and out of operative p0- e sition automatically by the translation of ithe driven rollers'through the drier, and provision isalso made by which it canconform to I any irregularitiesin the ,relative translatlonal movements of opposite ends of the driven rollers.

J 1 1, arm comp e unde tand g of t sl nv ntio eferen e may be .h the accompanying drawings in which Figure ;1,;is a diagrammatic view illusl-trating the userof'ls uceessive rotary, drive A Figure 2 is affragmentary somewhat dia- U grammatic sectionthrough tube conveyor yacent ends of successive units at any one time maylliave relatively different angulaiy system at the adjacent ends-of, successive S W Y VAI UIHtS, I

ll e asome het ql esremmefi ee tion of a similar portion of onesystem illustrating successive positions-of the tubes and rollers.

Figure 4 is a perspective of the idle roller device in normal condition."

Figure 5 is a similar view showing thedevice distorted as when thetraverse at opbearings for the idle roller when itsmoun'ting isin normal positionfas FigureB.

Figure 9 is a detail partly infelevation and partly insection showing ins am v mechanism in the distorted conditionof Figure'5. 1 y l Figure 10 is a detail partly in section of another portion of the idleroller device.

Figurellis a'detail section on line 1111 of Figure 9. i I

Referringfirst to Figures 1 and5, at 1 1 1 and 1 are indicated r0tatable.rollers on which thetubes or other cylindrical articles to be dried are carried; Each of these rollers is iournaled at opposite ends in bearing blocks 2 and these bearing blocks are fixed to endless carrier members herein shown as chains 3,atlie;-upper and lower stretches of eachchainbeing in parallel spacedrelation, the articles to be dried, as at 1, being supported by the rollers on the upper stretch only, the rollers on the lower stretehbeing idle and returning from the article exit end ofthedrier to the entrance articles are introducedend where the I There may be several tiers of such, roller systems in one drier. a A chain 3 is positioned at each end of the rollers, as shown best, in Figures 5 and 6, and suitable means (not shown) areprovided for driving this chain togivetliesupporting rollers 1 a translational movement through the drier as shown by the arrows a. At one end of each roller its supporting shaft 10 is extended beyond the bearing block 2 and has fixed, thereto] a sprocket wheel 12, this sprocket wheel beingdesigned to be engaged by any one ra plurality of driving chains 15 and 16, the motion of these chains serving to impart rotation to the rollers. A plurality of driving chains is employed'sincejthe total 'lengtlrof the drier is very considerable; and, even if it is desired to rotate them at the same velocity, it is impracticable on"'account of r the alternate stretch and slackening of chain drives to drive such a large number of sup porting rollers as is necessary over such an xtended stre ch by a single chain drive. In

Figure 1 three such rotary driving mechanisms have been indicated. 7

The sprocket chains 15 and 16 pass over end sprocket wheels 17 and 18, respectively, as shown in Figure 2, one sprocket wheel for each drive chain being rotated by any suitable source of power. If it be assumed that the chain 15, as shown in Figure 1, is

being driven from the sprocket wheel 17 at the right hand end of the chain and that the sprocket chain 16 is being driven by power applied to a sprocket wheel (not shown) atthe remote end of the loop of this chain, it is found that the sprocket wheel 18 will be driven more or less irregularly, due tothe alternate stretching and slackening of the chain 16, whereasthesprocket wheel 17 being driven directly from the source of power is given uniform velocity. Know the article to be dried rests upon a roller having motion imparted: thereto by the chain 15 and at the same time on a neighboring roller deriving its motion from the chain16 adjacent to the sprocket wheel 18,

the two supporting rollers both imparting frictional rotational forces to the article will not act in time thereon, consequently slipping between the article and one or the other supporting roller will result and particularly where the articles are readily deformable they are likely to be injured thereby.

It is therefore important that the articles shall never be in frictional contact with a pair of supporting rollers which are driven either directly or through frictional contact with other articles supported thereby from more than one rotational drive mechanism. This is accomplished in the present invention by means acting automatically as the supporting rollers leave one rotational driving. unit out of cooperating engagementwith its drive mechanism and approach the succeeding unit to raise the article being dried out of contact with one of the supporting rollers until such time as both these rollers become a part of the succeeding unit and are receiving their rotational impulses from the succeeding driving mechanism.

The device for accomplishing thisis shown detached in Figures 3 and l and details thereof in Figures 7 to 10. As shown it comprises a shaft 20 mounted for free rotation between the upper and lower stretches oi the diive chain 3. This shaft cairies ad ac'ent to opposite ends spiders 21 and 22 each having, outwardly directed arms 23 for pivotally. supporting idle rollers 24 which pass up one by one between adjacent rotatable rollers 1, each of these rotatable rollers passing between adjacent arms 23' as shown in Figuresl and 2 and by their motion of translation turning the spiders on the axis of the shaft 20 as a center.

' It may sometimes happen that the chains 3 opposite ends of the rotatable rollers 5 may fall slightly out of step as byone slipping a tooth on its drivin'gsprocket,- where i r upon the rollers become slightly turned from their normal position extending at right angles to their line of translational moveinent, this being; shown in Figure 6. In

orderthat the article-raising device may conform-to such a POSlblOll of the-rotatable rollers, provision is made by which the frame comprising-the spiders and i the idle idle rollers to maintain-parallel relation with the rotatable rollerseven though the rota-. table-rollers may assume incorrect angular positions such as isshownin Figure 6. For this purpose the sp 1 ders;21-and-22 are per- 3 mitted a-relative rotationon the shaft 20,

- the idle-rollers also-being supported in a manner; which permlts such- 1'G ltlt1VQ=[LIlgLl-\ larmovemen-t of the spiderswithout crampingor otherwise interfering with the I tree rotation of the idle-rollers.

extending therebeyond and :held in perpendi-c'ular relation to the plane 0f the spider 2 1 by-means of the pla -tes er fins 33. -lVith in the projectingend ofthe tube 32 is posir V tioned a:,shaft portion*35 rotatable therein and tired to atubularportion 36as by a tion totheplane oit this spiderm The projecting end of -i-thelshaft:35-may Lbe fixedaxially within the tube 32 and for thispurpose 'as' shown nr' Figurer 10', apair of: arouate shoes at): fined :byscrews 41 to the inner. faee :ot the :tubei32eengage in an annular V .recesalt in theushaft 35.

- t it i is important that the idle rollers should be held out of contacts with the rotatable broilers betweenv which they-mpass in i order that the articles supported athereby and. by

.one ol the adjacentsrotatable i'o-llersmay have rotationahefliort imparted thereto only i through its xsupportingi rotatable roller.

i For this purposecithejidle=rollers'areaheld Mont-Mot. COHbZLCtwlVltllthG rotatable rollers as bydmeans :oftriction. wheels 50:.journaled at theendswfuthe spideriarms 21 and 22,

rollers .but; .tl1ese:.act to. hold the idle rollers i always out of. contact therewith.

The manner of supporting the idle rollers i for rotation .notwithstandin the distortion or their supporting frame :by relative angle, lair motion o -l .li e spiel 6:1 8:21 ancl22 is shown.

- best in Figures 7 and 8. At the endiofleaeh of thespiderarms 23 iS-fixed a shaftGO having a concentric portion tot increasing diameter as at 61- on: wh-ichwis: mounted the-inner race member 6210f aballbearing the outer race member as shown at1363 being fixed to the inner face of the corresponding: friction wheel 50. writs-filters shown the balls positioned :between these race members. inwardly of: the: trict-ion rollersmay befldistorted as to permit the whee-ls SOi the shaft =60 has an eecentrioally arranged portion 1 of reduced diameter 65' in which is seated the inner race member 66 of a umversal ball bearing; the outerrace memshaft portion 65 as shown imiFigure 8' WlthOUt"ClGStTOYIIIQ its-ball bearing connec -tion therewith. As-shown the race member v26? is seated-Within"the reeessedend of a As shown in Figure 9, the --sh'ai t-2t) is made in two parts, one of the parts, as 30, extending through a central opening in the spider2land itsopposite endbeing formed as ahead fil which is-lixed in a tube 32.

block 70 seated in the .end :of a: tube 71 which forms the body portion offthcg,- idle seen that the drivechain 15 isrinmlriving relation to the sprocket 1270f the left hand rotatable roller 1', but is out iofdriving con- .inection with its next radjacentrights-hand sprocketion the roller 1 The article lqsupv. portedlbet-ween these=twoerotatable rollers 1 and 1'5" is' theretoreqdriren by=its= trictional engagement with the roller has shown by to the spider. 22, p1ates -or 1 finsw -38 being. -cmployed-to retain it in perpendicular rela the arr-ow,-.and imparts a lrotationetmthe neat adjacent roller 13011: which it rests. This roller l alsozhelpslto support another article l which is'driyen by its frictional engagement with itssupporting roller 'l' and ifllSO {lIlVGS by 1 11661011211 engagement therewith its supporting roller 1*.

- it will be noted thatzthis is driven trointhe .cha1nr16 which engages itssprocket wheel 12. The rotatable rolleruncxt to g the; "left 1; at' 1 is not drivendirectly bysthis chain 16,

but is driven frictiona'lly through the article 4?, which rests-on both the rotatable rollers lPand 1. It will thus be seen :thatthe suptporting-vroller 1 and the supporting roller 1, \VlllCllgill'flllGXt adjacent. to each other,

deriveltheir 1 rotary motions from 1 two di't ferent drlv ngunits, theroller 1 -deriring its rotation through frictional contact with articles supported@thereby andother rotata ble rollers from thechain 15-, and the roller 1 derlving its rotation throughfrictional engagement witlrlthe article supported on a roller driven by, the 3 chain; 16.- As: the adacent portions of these chains are not-driven 1, in :synchron-isnr. since this portion bf the .cha1n'16 isremotefrom-lits drivlng-source :and 18: more or less -nonaum'tormly; driven and this port-ionofsthe chain -15 is near its driving source and 13111011)1lIl1'i3QLI11ly I'0 tated, it is important that no article shall be in contact with both the rollers 1 and 1 at the same moment. Of course if the rotating mechanisms are intended to be driven at different velocities, as hereinbefore mentioned, the avoidance of imparting rotating effort to one article from more than one mechanism at a time is of .even more im portance. The spider with its supporting idle rollers prevents such contact by raising the article 49 out of contact with one or the other of these supporting rollers. As shown it is out of contact with the supporting roller 1, but it may take this position or it may contact with the roller 1 and be out of contact with the roller i", sometimes one action occurring and sometimes the other, it being immaterial which. As the idle roller 3 on which the article 43 is supported is always out of contact with the rotatable rollers 1 and 1, as hereinbe'tore pointed out, it may be rotated freely by frictional engagement with the article 4* which is driven by its frictional engagement with that particular supporting roller either 1* or 1 with which it happens to be in contact.

As the chain 8 continues in its traverse the roller 1 is brought to the position of the roller 1 and the roller 1 to the'position of the roller 1. The roller 1* passing between the arms of the spiders causes the frame comprising these spiders to rotate, thus withdrawing the idle roller from between the supporting rollers 1 and 1 and finally permitting the article 4 to contact with both the driving rollers 1 and 1. By the time this has occurred, however, the article t has been raised upwardly from contact with one of the rollers 1 or 1 so that the roller 1" is no longer receiving rotational effort from the chain 15. The entire rotational effort on the article 4: is now from the chain 16 either directly or through the frictional efforttransmitted between other supporting rollers and other articles thereto.

In Figure 2 the successive positions of the articles and rollers are indicated by dotted and solid lines. For example, the article 4 is shown in dotted lines as supported by the rollers 1 and 1", and the article 4: by'the' rollers 1 and 1*. By the time these elements have assumed their full lme positions one of the idle rollers has raised the article 4 out of contact with one of the supporting rollers 1 or 1", herein shown as the roller 1 I In the dotted line position also, the article On the return traverse of the rollers they also pass successively between adjacent arms of the spiders to aid inthe rotation of the frame composed of these spiders and the this invention it'should be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications. might made therein without departing from its spirit or scope asdefined by the appended claims.

I claim: 1

,1. In combination with a plurality of spaced rotatable rollers movable bodily in a path and arranged to convey cylindrical articl s supported between adjacent pairs of rollers, ofa plurality of roller-rotating mechanisms arranged alongsaid path and into cooperative relation with which each of said rollers successively comes to rotate said articles, and means acting when one of the supporting rollers for each article passes out'of cooperative relation to one of said mechanisms to hold the article out of contact with one of saidpair of rollers until both'the said pair of rollers are out of driven relation with said driving mechanism.

2.111 combination with a plurality ofspaced rotatable rollers movable bodily in a path and arranged to convey cylindrical articles supported between adjacent pairs of rollers, of a plurality of roller-rotating mechanisms arranged along said path and into cooperative relation with which each of said rollers successively comes to rotate said articles, means acting when one of the supporting rollers for each article passes out of cooperative relation to one of said mechanisms to hold the article out of contact with one or" said pair of rollers until both the said pair of rollers are out of driven relation with said driving mechanism and into cooperative relation to the next succeeding driving mechanism.

3. In combination with a plurality of spaced rotatable rollers movable bodily in a path and arranged to convey cylindrical articles supported between adjacent pairs of rollers, of a plurality of roller-rotating mechanisms arranged along said path and into cooperative relation with which each of said rollers successively comes to rotate sa d art cles, and a plur ty f dle r llers constructed to move successively between one of said rotatable rollers while said 'rotatable rollers are passing from one to a succeeding rotating mechanism.

1. In combination with a plurality ,of spaced rotatable rollersunovable bodily-in a pathand arranged to convey cylindrical articles supported between adjacent pairs of rollers, of""a plurality of roller-rotating mechanisms arrangecbalong said path and into cooperative relation with which each of saidrollei's successively comes to rotate said articles, a plurality of idle rollers constructed to move successively between adjacent rotatable rollers and raise the ar ticle supported thereby from contact with one of said rotatable rollers While said rotatable rollers are passing from one to a succeeding rotating mechanism, and means for maintaining said idle rollers out of direct frictional engagement with said rotatable rollers.

5. In combination with a plurality of substantially parallel rotatable rollers arranged to support cylindrical articles between each pair of adjacent rollers, endless members connecting the adjacent ends of said rollers, means to drive said members to cause said members to be moved bodily in a closed path, a plurality of roller-rotating mechanisms with which each of said rollers successively comes into cooperative relation, a rotatable frame journaled adjacent to and between said rotating mechanisms, and idle rollers carried by said frame in position to pass between adjacent rotatable rollers and lift each article from one of its pair of rotatable rollers while said pair is passing from cooperative relation with one to the succeeding rotating mechanism.

6. In combination with a plurality of substantially parallel rotatable rollers ar ranged to support cylindrical articles between each pair of adjacent rollers, endless members connecting the adjacent ends of said rollers, means to drive said members to cause said members to be moved bodily in a closed path, a plurality of roller-rotating mechanisms with which each of said rollers successively comes into cooperative relation, a rotatable frame ournaled adjacent to and between said rotating mechanisms, and idle rollers carried by said frame in position to pass between adjacent rotatable rollers and lift each article from one of its pair of rotatable rollers while said pair is passing from cooperative relation with one to the succeeding rotating mechanism, said frame being distortable to permit said idle rollers to assume positions with their axes inclined to the journal axis of said frame to permit said idle rollers to pass between rotatable rollers havingtheir axes at an angle to theperpendioular to their direction ofbodilymovement. 1

i 7. A device of the class described, com prising a rotary shaft, a pair':of'='spaced I spiderson' said'shaft, each of, said spiders having outwardly extei'iding arms,-and rollers extending betweenthe extremities of t'he fcorresponding arms of said spidersand-jour naled rotation.

. 8. A device of thee-lass described, com prising a rotatable shaft,'a'pairof spa'ced' spiders on said shaft, each of said spiders having outwardly extending arms," a wheel journaledat the end of each of gsaid arms, and rollers extending between the corre' f sponding arms of said spiders eecentri'cally of saitlwheels and journaled for rotation;

9. A device of the class described,'comprising a rotatable shaft, a pair of spaced spiders on said shaft, each of said spiders having outwardly extending arms, a wheel journaled at the end of each of said arms, and rollers of smaller diameter than said wheels extending bet-ween the corresponding arms of said spiders and journaled for rotation.

10. A device of the class described, comprising a rotatable shaft, a pair of spaced spiders on said shaft, each of said spiders having outwardly extending arms, a wheel journaled at the end of'eaeh of said arms, and rollers of smaller diameter than said wheels extending between the corresponding arms of said spiders eceentrically of said wheels and journaled for rotation. W

11. A device of the class described, comprising a rotary shaft, a pair of spaced spiders on said shaft, each of said spiders having outwardly extending arms, rollers extending between the extremities of the corresponding arms of said spiders, said spiders being permited relative angular motion on said shaft, and said rollers being journaled for free rotation between said arms irrespective of the angular relation between said spiders.

12. A device of the class described, comprising a rotary shaft, a pair of spaced spiders on said shaft, each of said spiders having outwardly extending arms, a wheel journaled at the outer end of each arm, and rollers journaled between corresponding arms of said spiders and having their peripheries extending further from said shaft than the peripheries of said wheels.

13. A device of the class described, comprising a rotary shaft, a pair of spaced spiders on said shaft, each of said spiders having outwardly extending arms, a wheel journaled at the outer end of each arm, and rollers of smaller diameter than said wheels journaled between corresponding arms of said spiders and having their peripheries extending further from said shaft than the peripheries of said wheels.

14-. A device of the class described, comprising a rotary shaft, a pair of spaced spiders on said shaft, each of said spiders having outwardly extending arms, a wheel journaled at the outer end of each arm, and rollers journaled between corresponding arms of said spiders and having their peripheries extending further from said shaft than the peripheries, of said wheels, said spiders being permitted relative angular movement about said shaft, and said roller journals having universal movement to permit said rollers to rotate freely with different angular relations between said spiders.

15. A device of the class described, comprising a rotary shaft, a pair of spaced spiders on said shaft, each of said spiders having outwardly extending arms, a wheel journaled at the outer end of each arm, and rollers of smaller diameter than said wheels journaled between corresponding arms of said spiders and having their peripheries extending further from said shaft than the peripheries of said wheels, said spiders being permitted a relative angular movement about said shaft, and said roller journals having universal movement to permit said rollers to rotate freely with different angular relations between said spiders.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

HIRAM A. FARRAND. 

